Real ways to help Get Out The Vote and “True the Vote.” And a glimmer of hope.

No matter whom the Republican presidential nominee turns out to be, we conservatives need to make sure he wins. How best to do that? How best to actually help get out the vote? And make sure fraudulent votes are not cast?

To help our Republican candidates win in the 2012 election cycle, I believe we conservatives need to do three things. The first two involve volunteering to help a candidate’s campaign Get Out The Vote and the third involves volunteering (or finding volunteers) to “True the Vote” on Election Day.

First, according to some accounts, approximately 4 million conservative Republicans refused to cast a vote in the presidential race in 2008 because our candidate was the “not conservative enough” John McCain. So, we’ve got to get as many of those 4 million to vote this time, even if our nominee is the “not conservative enough” Mitt Romney. Would be nice if our nominee eventually makes a great, conservative, plea to these voters. Don’t bet on that happening. So it’s up to each of us to try to convince these conservatives to not make the same mistake this time. We don’t win by losing. Contact the campaign manager of the candidates of your choice and volunteer to help Get Out The Vote.

Second, about 35% of registered Republicans failed to vote at all in 2008. Again, what will you do where you live, in your precinct (or elsewhere, assuming your neck of the woods is overwhelmingly Republican or Democrat), to help GOTV? Can you spend a few hours making targeted phone calls to those Republicans who need a nudge to get to the polls? Consider calling the campaigns of the candidates or your choice to help Get Out The Vote. Many campaigns now use web-based virtual calling centers that are efficient and easy to use.

Here’s an example of how an increase in voter turnout can be accomplished with a little bit of planning, organization and effort:

Third, do you have the time to volunteer to serve as a poll watcher or poll worker where you live? To help make sure that the vote is not stolen? Can you do that? (Many can’t take off time from work to serve on Election Day; poll working/watching is the kind of thing that is perfect for retirees.) If you can’t take the time to volunteer in this capacity, do you have any friends or relatives who might be able to serve? Can you suggest to them that that opportunity to serve exists? Where I live, for example, every election cycle our county elections department begs voters to volunteer to serve as poll workers on Election Day and, even thought they pay poll workers, still not enough people volunteer to fill all the positions.

So, to recap how to actually help Get Out The Vote and “True the Vote”:

1. Help convince the “I won’t vote for X because he’s not conservative enough” voters to vote for our nominee.

2. Help all those Republicans who did not vote in 2008 to vote in November.

3. Become a poll watcher or poll worker.

If we all do a little, we can accomplish much. Please see the links below for additional information.

And now for the glimmer of hope. Tuesday, April 10, my Legislative District 17 Republican Committee had its caucus for electing delegates to the Arizona Republican Party state convention. AZ’s system is different from some of the “pure caucus” states for this purpose. While any registered voter can run for delegate to the state convention, only the precinct committeeman elected or appointed before Dec. 31 of the prior year have the right to vote for the delegates.

I volunteered to help the legislative district committee officers check everyone’s ID and voter registration before the caucus started.

LD 17, which consists of most of Tempe, AZ and part of south Scottsdale, AZ, has about 28,000 registered Republicans. Per the Rules of the Republican Party, that number of Republican registered voters translates into about 267 PC slots. That number fluctuates with voter registration. And that number of registered voters translates into our LD getting 28 delegates and 28 alternate delegates for the state convention.

In 2008, when I first got elected PC in August, we had about 65 PCs. Prior to that I had been an appointed PC in 2007, so in April of 2008 I tried to run for a delegate slot. Because McCain was in the race, almost all the PCs wanted to be delegates. I did not make the cut for delegate, but everyone who ran, but who didn’t make the delegate cut, like me, got to be alternates, because we had fewer candidates than slots.

The only Republicans who showed up to the 2008 caucus were the LD 17 PCs. Not a single “mere” registered Republican showed up to try to become a delegate.

What a difference the election and reign of BHO has made.

This time, we had about 25 “concerned registered Republicans” show up to put their names in nomination to be a delegate. We had an overflowing crowd of people who wanted to know how to become a delegate, how to become a PC, etc. Most had no idea what they were doing, but they knew they had to show up. So we taught them the basics as best we could.

All of the LD 17 PCs who ran to be delegates (30 of the approximately 130 PCs we have now) for the 56 slots got elected as either a delegate or alternate delegate.

We had 54 candidates for our 56 slots, so everyone who showed up to run for the delegate and alternate delegate slots will be allowed to attend and participate in the state convention.

Our chairman made a brief pitch to the new people about the importance of becoming a PC and we handed out the nomination forms, the “I live in the district” forms (the two pieces of paper one needs to turn into the Election Board to get on the ballot) and PC Handbooks to all who wanted them. Almost all of the people who ran for delegate who were not already PCs picked up all three documents.

I hope and pray this sort of resurgence among our citizenry in participation in party politics is happening in every Republican Party committee across the country.